How many astronomers does it take to discover a planet that doesn’t exist? The Answer: Generations.

Depending on where you live, (and a thousand other variables) your life expectancy is probably between 75 and 85 years. Even at the high end, that’s not enough to solve all the world’s problems. That’s why most big questions can only be answered by multiple generations.

We follow the story of a Roman temple that became an British Castle, and then an English jail.

Then we follow the story of Neptune and Vulcan… two planets that were discovered by a dozen people over the course of two hundred years. 

Dr Wayne Lautt joins the show to share who his mentors and heroes are.

These science stories from history shed light on the modern research being done on Type 2 Diabetes. Specifically we highlight the work of SciMar as they examine the hormone HISS - Hepatic Insulin Sensitizing Substance - and the effect it has on glucose levels in people who are insulin resistant. www.SciMar.ca

Generations: What Newton taught Einstein

In Season 2 of the series we will share a new collection of surprising and unusual stories from the history of science.
In each episode we will feature two seemingly unrelated stories from the past. Then, Dan Riskin will connect the dots between those stories and offer insight into how that history impacts modern medical research.

We are learning from the past so we can understand the present, and inform the future.

Along the way we will learn how a professor at Stanford turned mild mannered young men into cruel vicious prison guards, and how the Irish Potato Famine really had nothing to do with potatoes.

We will ask questions such as: “Did we learn the wrong lesson from the sinking of the Titanic?” “How many people did Orson Wells actually fool?” and “What exactly is Maple Syrup Urine Disease?”

In these ten episodes we will also follow along with SciMar as they take their breakthrough science into the testing phase. Will the things they discovered in a row of test tubes in the lab be repeatable in real people? And will that prove to be the final cure for type 2 diabetes?

So, if you are intrigued by science, get excited about the process of discovery, and want to have the best stories at your next dinner party, this is the show for you. We promise a season full of guinea pigs, Corona beer, shipwrecks, and cobras.

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The series is produced by SciMar, a medical research company developing a new way to detect, treat and cure type 2 diabetes. Rather than insulin from the pancreas, they are focused on hepatalin, a hormone that comes from the liver. We will use historical stories to shine a light on where this modern company is headed.

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How you tell a story goes a long way to determining whether or not it gets believed, and remembered.

Spreading the News

Let’s talk about the use of animals in medical research. It’s not a subject that people are very comfortable discussing, but we are going to do it anyway.

We will start with an incredible story of a fire in Bar Harbor Maine that impacted the health of people all over the world for years, even though they never even knew about it.

Then we will ask the question ‘what really causes Ulcers, and how did researchers figure that out?’

Dr Wayne Lautt has used animals in his experiments for years. But his approach to it is very different from the mainstream view.

Guinea Pigs

The relationship between researchers and funders is complicated.

Some people think that researchers should be left to their own direction and that all financial support should be ‘no-strings attached.’ But is that possible? Is it desirable?

We look at how the Roman Coliseum was funded, and ask ‘what impact did that have on its design and its use?’

Then we turn our attention to NASA --- is the space agency funded by the military? Should it be? And how has its unique funding arrangement impacted what it does?

Finally we’ll confront the thorny question of ‘how much influence should funding agencies have over research?’

Follow the Money

The Amish community in Pennsylvania is heavily impacted by genetic diseases. You might think that their resistance to modern technology would make it difficult to treat these conditions. But actually their philosophies around family and community make it easier to manage these diseases.

John Franklin’s ships were lost to the world for more than a century and a half. They were only discovered by a team of people that combined modern search tools with historical knowledge.

We talk with Jennefer Nepinak about the concept of ‘two-eyed seeing.” Through this approach we consider new ways of dealing with mental health, and diabetes.

Generations: What Newton taught Einstein

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